The most prominent Kevin Martins on Facebook right now are a musician, a basketball player and a cake designer, but that’s likely to change soon. Former Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin will join Facebook to manage the social media giant’s mobile and global access policy.
Martin headed the FCC from 2005 to 2009, and now practices law in Washington, D.C. He has been advising Facebook for the past two years, according to The Wall Street Journal, which also notes that Facebook spent $9 million last year on lobbying.
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Issues important to Facebook include spectrum access, immigration and net neutrality. Although Martin’s primary experience is in Washington, Facebook wants him to address regulatory issues on a global scale. This month the company launched Internet.org, which will use drones and satellites to deliver the Internet via mobile devices to people who do not currently have access. Ironically, the plan to make the Internet more ubiquitous flies in the face of U.S. net neutrality rules because it makes some websites easier to access than others.
Instant articles
Here in the United States, Facebook is busy making it easier for users to engage with news stories on mobile devices. Instant Articles is meant to cut the time it takes news articles to load on Facebook, which the company said currently averages 8 seconds.
Publishers will also be able to tap a host of interactive features through Instant Articles to make their offerings more media rich and engaging. The service is launching with participation from nine media outlets: The New York Times, National Geographic, BuzzFeed, NBC, The Atlantic, The Guardian, BBC News, Spiegel and Bild.
